Simply put, Richard Matheson remains one of the preeminent writers of sci-fi, horror, and fantasy for the latter part of the 20th century (across the mediums of TV, film, novels, and short stories). Where to begin with this one? I guess since the story is one that involves time travel, the past is best.

“Is it you? Is it?” ~ Elise McKenna’s question to Richard upon their first meeting. Where it will take him, and the effects upon the two separated by time, is the gist of the story. The mystery that was her life, one hinted in books and periodicals of the time the playwright researches, will become a loving obsession for Richard like no other in the present, or the past. It is the renowned stage actress of yesteryear, one Elise McKenna. There, frustrated and traipsing about, he finds an old picture of a beautiful woman in the historical section of the old lodge which enthralls him beyond measure. In an attempt to recapture whatever magic he thought he knew, Richard returns to the college town of his youth and checks into the mainstay Grand Hotel. Eight years later in Chicago, the prosperous dramatist is at an impasse - stuck with writer’s block, which parallels his own bogged love life. Her words to the young Richard Collier, “Come back to me.”, dismay him in a way he cannot comprehend. Rachel’s book review can be found here:Ī brief synopsis of the film: A young aspiring college playwright, greeting his play’s opening one night in 1972, is approached by a mysterious elderly woman.

As part of the movie tie-in, publishers re-titled subsequent book editions to that of the film. His novel Bid Time Return served the 1980 film adaptation of Somewhere in Time. In this case, she’ll be looking at the 1975 source novel from a writer my blogging buddy Bryce Wilson says in his recent post “ … does not inspire mere respect in his fellow authors but something very much like love”, Richard Matheson.

As usual, the wordy one will look at the text of a famed novel later adapted to film, which I will review. For this one, we took on a novel/film pairing that could well be the definition of romance, at least for the 80s and going forward. One more time, the blogger otherwise known as the Scientist Gone Wordy and I will add another of our duo posts in the series we started way, way back in 2010. I’ve just come 68 years, may I please speak to you?”

Bid time return richard matheson